Musical career

Sutch was born at New End Hospital, Hampstead, North West London. In the 1960s, inspired by Screamin' Jay Hawkins, he changed his artist name to Screaming Lord Sutch, 3rd Earl of Harrow, despite having no connection with the peerage. His legal name remained David Edward Sutch.

Following a career as an early-'60s rock 'n' roll attraction, it became customary for the UK press to refer to him as Screaming Lord Sutch, or simply Lord Sutch. Early works included recordings produced by audio pioneer Joe Meek.

During the 1960s, Screaming Lord Sutch was known for his horror-themed stage show, dressing as Jack the Ripper, pre-dating the shock rock antics of Alice Cooper. Accompanied by his band, The Savages, he started by coming out of a black coffin. Other props included knives and daggers, skulls and "bodies". Sutch booked themed tours, such as 'Sutch and the Roman Empire', where Sutch and the band members would be dressed up as Roman soldiers.

He founded the Official Monster Raving Loony Party in 1983 and fought the Bermondsey by-election. In his career he contested over 40elections, rarely threatening the major candidates, but often getting a respectable number of votes. He was easily recognisable at election counts due to flamboyant clothes. It was after he polled several hundred votes in Margaret Thatcher's Finchley constituency in 1983 that the deposit paid by candidates was raised from £150 to £500. This did little to deter Sutch, who increased the concerts he performed to pay for campaigns.

Sutch is survived by a son, Tristan Lord Gwynne Sutch, born in 1975 to the American model Thann Rendessy.In 1991, Sutch's autobiographyLife as Sutch: The Official Autobiography of a Raving Looney (written with Peter Chippindale) was published but recalled by publishers. In 2005 Graham Sharpe, who had known Sutch since the late 1960s, wrote the first biography, The Man Who Was Screaming Lord Sutch.

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